Just Like Heaven
by Crazychicke
Summary: Based on the movie with the same name. After Caroline's accident, she discovers Stefan living in her apartment. He promises to help trigger her memories, hoping she will pass on, but complications arise. -Request- Steroline/Elejah. AU/Humans.
1. Just Like Heaven

**Disclaimer: Not mine, as much as I wish it. A/N: For my friend Nat, who suggested this film, and for** **fantasylover4evr** **and** **youweremybestfriend** **\- thank you for your continued support & reviews. x**

 **Just Like Heaven**

 **1.**

Caroline Forbes sat in a chair surrounded by an assortment of coloured and scented roses, in a garden which stole her heart, and resonated peace and harmony. The sound of the coffee machine spurting hot liquid and the shake of a hand on her shoulder, woke her from her dream. "How long have I been out?" she asked, pushing her hair out of her face.

Her friend and mentor, Bonnie Bennett sighed. "About fifteen minutes, and you better get outside before Liam takes your promotion." Bonnie folded her arms and gave Liam, their colleague, an unimpressed look. "He's just so smug..." Bonnie said. Caroline snorted into her coffee cup. The microwave beeped and April stirred her leftover bolognaise with a fork to cool it down.

"The dark circles were scaring my patients," Bonnie explained, wiping concealer beneath her eyes. "I can't wait til today is over, any plans tonight?" April took a mouthful of pasta. Bonnie washed her hands in the sink. "I'm going out to dinner with my ex and his mother." April and Bonnie looked at Caroline. "Working," she shrugged, she wanted to make a good impression.

April squeezed Caroline's hand across the table. "You're so lucky all you have to worry about is work." Since graduating college, Caroline threw herself into her job, working long hours to impress Dr Bennett and get the promotion she deserved. Invested in her patients, Caroline spent time getting to know them. "Marry me?" Professor Saltzman asked, oblivious he'd asked her twice already. She smiled, patting his arm. "Yes, of course, just let me call my sister and borrow her dress."

Next, she jabbed some morphine into an erratic patient who lunged at Liam, diffusing the situation, and pocketed the syringe in her scrubs. Liam hurried to catch up, not to say thank you, it turned out. "By the way, I took care of Aaron, while you were sleeping." She frowned. "I wasn't sleeping," she half raced him down the hospital halls, skidding to a halt in front of an exasperated Dr Bennett .

"Liam, how long have you been here?" The Dean asked. "Twelve hours," came Liam's reply. Dr Bennett glanced at Caroline. "A few more..." she admitted. "Liam, scrub up," Dr Bennett said. Her heart sank, and she turned to go. "Caroline, I've made my decision, I want you to stay on as head physician." She stared at him. "You are more concerned for what's best for the patient rather than kissing my arse," Dr Bennett smiled. "But now, I need you to go home, you've been here 26 hours, I know all..." he winked, and Caroline leapt into his arms, promising him he'd made the right choice.

Caroline beamed, walking to her car and heard her phone whistle with a message. She noticed Liam walking towards her. "I didn't know Dr Bennett was going to..." she fidgeted with her car keys. He forced a smile. "I've been offered a job in Atlanta, I wish you all the best." Caroline nodded, climbing into her car, and checked her phone. "Seriously?" she sighed, her sister, Elena, had set her up on _another_ blind date, one she assured her would be the perfect match.

Caroline pulled out from Whitmore Hospital. The road stretched out into darkness. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I have great news..." Elena replied, "Don't worry about it, your date is late too...you better not have changed your mind?" she sounded suspicious. Caroline sighed. "I promised I'd come." At least she'd have something exciting to contribute to their lunchtime conversations on Monday, she thought, besides she hadn't had dinner with her sister in forever. "Good, because this guy is great! He's a friend on an old friend." Caroline turned on the windscreen wipers, it had just started to rain.

"What does that mean? He's fat with a good sense of humour?" Elena sighed at Caroline's sarcastic tone. "Don't you dare say you're busy again, I really had to pull some strings with this guy!" Caroline flinched, moving her phone away from her ear. "Kids, I told you not to play handball in the kitchen!"

The oven door slammed and something was placed on the sink. "Sorry, what was I saying?" Caroline changed the subject. "Elijah's fine, he's been busy at the firm, but he's organised to take us to Disneyland. The girls are so excited, they're - who put S _pongebob_ in the pasta-bake!"

"I'll see you soon okay?" Still smiling Caroline put down her phone, and turned up the radio. When she looked up headlights blinded her, and a truck's horn deafened her ears. She gasped, gripping the steering wheel as a truck came straight for her.

* * *

Stefan Salvatore walked up and down the fifth apartment. He found the red couch, and rubbed his hand over the mahogany coffee table in front of the television. If it wasn't for the pink flyer hitting him in the face, he wouldn't have even known this place was for rent. Katherine Pierce's Gucci heels echoed over the wooden floorboards to the window, and back to his couch. "Month per month sublet, there's sunlight streaming through the windows, and a sensational view from the rooftop..."

"I like the couch," Stefan added. Katherine leaned over the couch, giving him an exasperated look.

"And you like the couch." He nodded. "Good couch." It didn't long for Katherine to settle everything. Within the hour, Stefan was able to move into the apartment. The first thing he did was water a dead pot plant he found on the roof, and restocked the fridge with beer. After a week, Stefan really was at home. He barely left the house, and he watched the same video over and over.

A woman laughed. Her eyes were warm and kind. Stefan drained the beer can. She stole some icing from a cake, and danced in a white dress. He paused the video, walking into the kitchen, and crushed the beer can in his fist. A blond haired woman screamed. Stefan yelled in fright. "There's nothing worth stealing here...there's no money or drugs here." She raised her hands. "I'm not homeless, I live here!" Stefan explained. She snorted. "You can't live here, this is my apartment.."

Stefan knew it was too good to be true. "I know what must have happened, rent scam right? you paid a deposit, and I bet another three people paid the same price..." Stefan dug his hand in his jeans to find his phone. "I'm calling my agent." The blond woman hadn't heard him. "That's my couch, that's my coffee coaster..." Stefan watched her lift his empty coffee mug from the table. He had a left a stain on the table. "I can't believe it! Don't you know how to use a coaster?"

"Excuse me, but this is MY apartment, and I don't like being told what to do in MY house." The woman glared at him. "This place is filthy, I'm getting a bucket, and I can't believe you're squatting in MY house... a filthy pig is squatting in my house!" Stefan followed her into the kitchen, shouting that he was not a squatter! "You moved in when?" He stopped, he was yelling at an empty kitchen. How many beers had he had? Was he losing his mind?

A few hours later, Stefan drilled a new lock onto the door. He took a shower, wrapped a towel around himself and took another sip of beer. He wiped down the steamed mirror. "I told you to get out!" Stefan jumped in fright. He hurried out of the room, changed and ran an unnerved hand through his thick brown hair. His heart pounded in his chest as he found himself on his brother, Damon's doorstep. "So, you're seeing someone? That's great!" he said. Stefan shook his head.

"I'm seeing a blond control freak who isn't real," Stefan explained. Damon stared at him. "So, you drank a lot, and you saw this blond controlling woman..." Stefan nodded, gripping his beer. Damon put down his notepad. "I'm not charging you, you're my brother, but I'm worried for you Steffy. You haven't socialised for two years! It's time, man." Damon widened his arms. "This is the world, join it, stop swimming in your own mind. No more hiding out!"

Stefan knew Damon meant well, but he wasn't ready for the real world, so he continued his routine. It had been days, and he had almost convinced himself the woman he'd seen was a result of his intoxication. Stefan had not touched any alcohol since he'd been out with Damon. He figured if he stayed sober, he wouldn't see her again. "Are you insane, what are you still doing here?" Stefan sprung from his bed, wide awake. He saw her annoyed expression, and groaned into his pillow.

"Go away, you don't exist!" Stefan hid himself beneath the pillow and tried to drown out her complaints. When she didn't stop, here tried to help her. "Are you hearing voices or seeing things that don't exist?" She frowned, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Do you often feel paranoid, like someone is out to get you?" Stefan hesitated. "Let me explain something to you. You have fantasised you have rented an appointment that belongs to someone else."

Stefan pinched himself. "I'm not dreaming..." he muttered, confused. The woman pointed at his pillow. "I'm not lying, turn over that pillow - there's a cherry stain. Those sheets are from ECO, and this is my apartment, this is my nightstand, my picture..." Stefan saw her hesitate, pointing at a vacant space on the bedside cabinet. "It was just here! _What did you do?"_ He shook his head, denying he did anything. "I'm calling the police!" The woman marched up to her phone, and he gaped, her hand went through it.

"What did you do to my phone? I'm going to use the one in the kitchen!" He watched her disappear into thin air. That's it, he needed answers.

"I need to know who the previous tenant was?" Stefan said, his eyes sweeping the apartment. The sun warmed his back, and Katherine's sigh reached him, "They didn't want to talk about it..." Stefan ran his fingers over the dusty windowsill, deep in thought. "Tragedy in the family...?" he whispered. "It seems that way. And not to sound selfish or anything, but you better hope whoever it is, dies, because that's the only way these people will give you a real lease."

Stefan poured himself a coffee, and went to put it down on the table. He looked around the room, then placed a coaster beneath his mug, just in-case.

* * *

The next day, Stefan entered an occult book store to search for books which would help him deal with the spirit. He stared at the book titles, completely lost, until a man wearing a Mystic Falls' football jersey asked him if he needed any help. Stefan let him pull a dozen books from the shelves. "Communicating is not her problem..." he said, catching one of the titles. Matt nodded, and went to another section. Stefan bought all the books nonetheless, and decided on making contact.

"Come on, are you here? I think you're here...?" Stefan perched himself on the edge of his couch, wafting a candle through the air. He sighed, checking one of the book's instructions again, and then going with his gut. There was only one way to get the woman's attention, he thought. "I've got a hot, moist, cup of coffee and no coaster and I'm putting it down on this lovely mahogany table-" Stefan spilled the coffee all over himself. "Don't you dare!" she appeared in front of him, looking pissed.

Stefan placed the empty mug on the coaster and glanced at his books. "Has it crossed your mind there's something a little off about how you're spending your days?" He began, rising from the couch. The woman folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, it's a little weird having a squatter living in my apartment..." Stefan walked towards her. "I'm not a squatter. Anyway, we're talking about you. What's your name?" The woman frowned, her lips pursed together, like she was offended by his question. Her eyes found his coffee mug. "Caroline, my name's Caroline."

Stefan followed her gaze. "You didn't know that, until you looked at that mug." Caroline narrowed her eyes. "You're dead! Just face it, walk into the light..." He forced her backwards, Caroline getting more and more agitated. "How dare you say that to me! There is no light! I'm not dead, I think I would know if I was dead!" Stefan stumbled back, her fist had gone straight through his head. "You're giving me a headache, it's not my fault that you're dead!" He reminded her, dodging her attempts to punch him again. "I am not dead!"

He pointed at her standing in the middle of the coffee table, and her eyes widened in shock. "I'm d-dead?" Stefan made a not so sensitive comment, and she lunged at him, falling straight through the window. "Good riddance!" He brushed his hands of her, and yelled in fright when she reappeared in front of him.

The days went on, and life as Stefan knew it became increasingly difficult. He suffered through renditions of Caroline singing 'Tomorrow' from the Broadway musical, 'Annie', as he watched the _Chicago Cubs_ on television. He drowned her out by turning up the volume, and received noise complaints from his neighbours.

"That's it! I've tried to be nice," he yelled, putting down his newspaper. "But you're out of here!" He called anyone and everyone to help him exorcise her. A priest whose holy water missed her entirely and his 'power of Christ expels you' grated against Stefan's ear; Ghostbusters who were convinced they'd caught her in a butter dish; Chinese healers who almost gave Stefan hope, until they set off the fire alarms. As a last resort, Stefan asked Matt Donovan from the Occult shop to do a reading.

"I'm not paying you to just sit there!" Stefan grumbled. Caroline rolled her eyes. "He can't see me either, for some piteous reason, only you can see me."Matt sat in Stefan's favourite couch with his eyes closed. "She's hostile, alright," he said finally. Stefan glanced at Caroline. "I like him," she said.

"You should move, man." Stefan raised his eyebrows. "That's your advice?" Caroline beamed. "This kid's got a gift," she said. Matt looked around the apartment. "This place really needs sprucing up."

"I like it here," Stefan said. Matt shrugged. "It's got a view!" Caroline protested. "And a fireplace!" Matt raised his hands. "Whatever, dude. I'm 99% parched." Stefan opened the fridge and gave him a beer. "I told her to walk into the light and she won't!" Caroline retorted. "That's because there is no light, how many times do I have to say it!" Matt sipped his beer, watching Stefan talking to someone over his right shoulder. "Bla Bla Bla," he made a face at Matt, completely forgetting he couldn't see her. "I know I'm dead, okay? I'm walking through walls here!" Stefan shot her a dark look.

"This is the most alive spirit I've ever been around..." Stefan and Caroline both stopped talking. Matt placed his hands upon Stefan's shoulders. "Let her go, dude." Stefan sighed. "How can I, when she won't leave!" Matt's blue eyes had stayed calm throughout their entire exchange. "I'm not talking about spirit girl, I'm talking about the other girl." Stefan pulled back. He didn't want to talk about it.

A light flared in Caroline's eyes. "Wait, you can dish it out, but you can't take it? Don't tell me your girlfriend dumped you, she dumped you big?"

Stefan gritted his teeth. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about, shut the hell up!" Caroline smirked, watching him leave the room. Matt sipped his beer, and then said: "A word for the wise girl, show some respect for the dead."

Caroline found Stefan on the rooftop of her apartment, he faced the clock tower and she picked her words carefully. "I bought this place for the roof, I was going to have a whole garden out here..." When Stefan ignored her she tried another tactic. "Most people who deal with loss, find it helpful to talk about things..." Stefan turned around. "I don't want to talk about Ivy!" His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice had cracked when he said her name. After a few minutes she tried again. "Who's Ivy?"

Stefan buried his hands in his jacket. "She was my wife." Caroline watched him brush passed her, and felt guilty for finding joy in his pain. "Where are you going?" she sighed, watching him fetch his car keys. "To meet my brother, apparently I've spent enough of my time wallowing, he thinks I should meet people, so that's what I'm going to do." Caroline followed him from her apartment to the pub where Stefan ignored her and her snipes about the pub. "This is not going to help you!"

"Oh really? Have you even been in a bar in your life?" Stefan retaliated. Caroline bit her lip, watching a dark haired man hug Stefan. "You made it! What are you drinking?" Damon introduced Stefan to two girls at the bar. "Scotch," Stefan answered. "Don't you dare!" Stefan told Caroline to shut up. One of the girls thought he was talking to her and looked affronted. "You ok? How are those hallucinations going?" Damon asked, looking worried. Stefan faked a smile. "Fine," he lied, clutching the scotch glass in front of him. "You leave me with no choice," Caroline hissed, diving into his body.

Damon watched in bewilderment as Stefan fought himself for possession of his own glass. He slapped himself, yelled at himself to 'stop' and then ended the performance by throwing his drink all over his date. "I'm so sorry," Stefan stuttered, dragging himself from the bar and walking as though he had been possessed by another being. The door slammed, and Damon wiped the alcohol from his face. Their dates glared at him, and disappeared into the ladies'. "Thanks brother," he muttered, downing his bourbon and hoping his brother could sort his shit out, before they got any older.

 **A/N: Please review. Don't be shy :)**


	2. Passing On

**Disclaimer: Not mine, as much as I wish it. A/N: Thank you for the reviews & movie requests - I've noted them down for future reference. I came up with another one today... John Tucker Must Die (of course, Stefan being the other Tucker). What do you think? Steroliney-enough? R&R. x**

 **Passing On**

 **2.**

Stefan buried his face in his hands, trying to forget the humiliation he'd felt back at the bar. Before seating himself on the park bench, he'd walked out on his plus one, Caroline, or so he had hoped. He opened his eyes to find her perched on the end of the seat, giving him an apologetic look. "Why are you still here?" he asked, exasperated. She shook her head, staring off into the distance. "I have no idea," she sighed, running her tongue along her bottom lip. "All I know is, I don't exist unless I'm around you...oh god, maybe I am dead!"

He saw the panic rise in her eyes, and regretted shouting at her. "I'm sorry, maybe you're not dead," he shrugged, remembering what Matt had said back at the apartment. "Maybe, and this is going to sound crazy..." Caroline looked at him. "Maybe you're not dead?" She smiled, grateful for his efforts to make her feel better. "If I can just remember something about who I was...I'm trying to figure it out, I just can't do it by myself..."

Stefan sat back on the seat, and caught her eye. "No, no!" he frowned, shaking his head. She crossed her arms. "Look, the way I see it, you have two choices. A woman has come into your life in a very unconventional way and she needs your help. The second one is, you're an insane person sitting on a bench talking to yourself." He knew she was right. "I think I prefer the first one," he said.

She stood up and returned to his red Porsche. "So where to now? Since we can't go back to the pub?" Stefan asked, swinging his car keys into his hand. "Back home, maybe if we meet some of my neighbours they can help me jog my memories?" Caroline suggested with a hopeful smile.

* * *

Stefan shifted the weight between his two feet as he waited for the fourth door to open. Caroline leaned her back against the wall, processing the idea she had been a ghost before she was dead. The woman who opened the apartment wore a pink crop-top and a friendly smile. "Finally, somebody normal, we were probably friends!" Caroline piped up. Stefan received an encouraging nod and began his spiel. "Hi," he accompanied his awkward hello with an even more awkward wave. "Did you uh, know the woman who lived in the apartment upstairs?"

"Rebekah," she smirked, taking in his ensemble. "Oh yeah, there was a woman... totally anti-social, like a cat lady but without any cats." Her laugh was not reciprocated by Caroline, and Stefan covered his smirk with his hand. "Hey, do you wanna come in? I've got a window I can't get open..." Stefan gave Caroline a confused look. She sighed. "She wants you to go in!" He hesitated, and mumbled a series of excuses. "Have you tried a screwdriver? I'd like to help but I've dinner plans," he said, reaching for Rebekah's hand, shaking it, and disappearing down the hall.

Caroline followed, jealous of Rebekah, and her amazing body. "Who wears a push-up bra in the middle of the day anyway? She wasn't even sweaty." Stefan sighed, climbing the staircase. "Maybe she was doing yoga?" he suggested, checking his jacket for the house keys. "Yeah right," she said as they stood outside the apartment door. She noticed his sudden distress and pointed to the fire distinguisher. "There's a spare key beneath it." He retrieved it, giving her a strange look. "I guess she was sexy-ish," she concluded, following Stefan inside.

Stefan pulled a beer from the fridge, rummaging in the kitchen drawers for the bottle opener. "Next drawer," she reminded him. "I bet she's a cheer-leader. What's that?" Caroline came to stand beside him, looking over his shoulder at a piece of paper with an address on it, which he had just pulled out. "An address and a dry cleaner's bill." Her eyes lit up. "You know what that means?" He shook his head, he had no idea. "We could start a very small fire?"

She frowned at his answer. "Seriously? No. Leads, Stefan, new leads." She snatched the address from him, confirming the number he was having trouble deciphering. "It says 425. Let's go."

* * *

Caroline leaned against the counter of the Dry Cleaner's as Stefan relayed her questions to the owner, a tall gentleman with an unshaven beard. Enzo scratched his chin, reminiscing. "She seemed sad, and lonely... in the end, I gave away her pants..." Stefan flinched at Caroline's shout. "Are you insane? They were Armani!" He gave her a warning glance, and thanked the owner for his time. "They're pants, what do you need them for?" he hissed, steering her outside.

Moments later, they sat in front of a suburban home with a grassy front yard and white picket fence. Stefan rang the doorbell, preparing what he wanted to say in his head. The bronze house number, 425, glinted in the afternoon sun. A middle-aged man in a suit answered the door. "Uh, this may sound odd, but do you know a woman, about this tall, with short blond hair?" A fear swept over the man, and he pulled the door shut, looking nervous.

"Did my wife hire you? I knew she found out!" Stefan exchanged an alarmed look with a confused Caroline, before the man added. "Meet me here around 6pm, I'll have a cheque ready," the man slammed the door. Stefan smirked, suddenly everything made sense. "What's that look?" she asked, bewildered. "You were a floozy! That's why nobody at the apartment could help us, because you worked night shifts, and probably slept all day." Caroline protested. Stefan looked back over the house. "And yeah, I'm coming back at 6pm, to collect that cheque."

She punched him in the arm. "Hey, you wanted to know," he opened the passenger door for her. "You're right, maybe I was a slut, a lonely, home wrecking slut...?" As they drove away, Bonnie Bennett opened the door to number 426, to collect her mail.

* * *

Stefan parked the car at the local shops. "There's nothing wrong with having a healthy sexual relationship..." Caroline said, trying to wrap her head around her supposed profession. Stefan buried his hands into his jacket pocket, and bumped into her when she stopped outside a fancy restaurant. "I loved this restaurant, _Mousses,_ I always wanted to eat here..." she whispered.

"What, were you a street urchin? Why didn't you?" Stefan raised his eyebrows. Caroline sighed. "I guess I always thought I was too busy..." Stefan lead the way inside the red carpeted floors, staring at the chandelier in awe. Families with young children were seated at some of the tables, and waiters organised table settings nearby. After Caroline decided to leave, a guest rose from the table, choking. The manager yelled for help. "Is there a doctor here?" Much to Stefan's disbelief the word 'doctor' triggered Caroline's memory.

Stefan found himself leaning over the choking man, reissuing instructions, second hand. "Does he feel bloated?" Caroline asked. Stefan nodded. "I think so." She stayed calm, and collected whilst Stefan's hands shook. "What is it? What's wrong with him?" The manager asked, as a crowd of onlookers encircled them. Stefan saw the victim's face turning blue. Caroline muttered something scientific which he tried to repeat. "I think it's a _tension nemo thaxer_...Nevermind! Open his shirt! No, I'll do it!" Stefan ripped the man's shirt open, his heart in his throat.

"I'm going to need a sharp paring knife!" He instructed to the worried crowd, listening to Caroline's instructions. "Stand back..." A nervous waitress ran to the kitchen, returning with it in hand, it was a moment before Stefan put two and two together. "You know what, nooooo!" Caroline sighed. "There's nothing to be afraid of! I'll guide you every step of the way." Stefan gritted his teeth. "How do you know all this?" he hissed, as he reluctantly pushed the knife against the man's throat.

"Push harder, take the pourer out of that vodka bottle..." Stefan did as instructed, taking a long sip of alcohol to steady his nerves. "Make an insertion there, and put the pourer where you made the cut." Stefan closed his eyes, fear spreading through him. "I can't," he mumbled, afraid he might kill the man. "Just do it!" she hissed.

"He's breathing!" The manager announced, relieved. Stefan smiled, his nerves rattled. The crowd dispersed to make way for the paramedics, and the manager looked impressed. "I'm a doctor!" Caroline's eyes lit up. "Ask him where the nearest hospital is?" Stefan told her it was Whitmore's. "I saved lives!" she beamed at him, noticing his pale face, eyes downcast, and she realised he did not look well. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the blood he was kneeling in. "Oh, just a little blood..." she said, frowning when Stefan fainted.

After the waitress had given Stefan some water, and he was confident he was better, they walked to the hospital, around the corner. "It's all coming back to me..." Caroline's hair whipped back and forth in her excitement. "Oh, there's April! Quick, ask her what happened to me." She beamed, taking in the white linoleum floors, remembering the names of her patients. "She is not active on our staff right now, let me talk to someone..."

Caroline sighed. "Oh no, that's the tone." She answered Stefan's confused gaze. "The tone when they get someone else to tell you that your friend died!" They were told to go to the third floor nurse's station for more information. "They wouldn't send you up here if it wasn't bad..." Stefan found Caroline's commentary less than helpful for his nerves. "It's Bonnie, she was my mentor!"

Stefan shook hands with the Doctor, aware of her suspicious gaze. "Tell her you're my boyfriend, they won't tell you anything unless we were intimate." Stefan repeated Caroline's request, losing track of the lies he'd already given. Bonnie snorted, scrutinising him. "I have a hard time believing that, Caroline's whole life was this hospital..." Stefan hesitated. "I live in her apartment building..." he began, trying another tactic.

Caroline took a few steps towards Bonnie, saddened to see those black circles had reappeared beneath her eyes, and there didn't appear to be any joy left inside them. "So you don't know about the accident?" Stefan shook his head, watching Caroline pause. "I remember it, it was awful..." she said. "I was overseas..." Stefan explained, watching Caroline disappear into another room down the hall, as though pulled by an imaginary force.

Caroline entered the private room, seeing several cards and flowers beneath the windows. To her left, connected to monitors, was her body, and she felt overwhelmed to have discovered herself, and also scared because she was in a coma. The door opened, and Stefan stuck his head inside, looking around. "What was that, you were flying!" She smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Oh my god, it's you, it's really you! You're not dead, you're alive!" His grin faded when he noticed how miserable she was.

"I'm in a coma!" Caroline sniffed, sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, watching the monitors. He sidled up to her. "You look pretty!" She appreciated his attempts to make her feel better but things were much worse. "This is bad, Stefan, three months is a persistent coma..." He tapped the monitors. "Well, let's do something!"

She agreed, lying back inside her body. "I need to put myself together somehow." She raised one arm, and then the other, getting frustrated. "I'm not sticking!" He watched her leave the hospital bed to read her get well soon cards. "Let me try something. Stay there."He placed his hand over Caroline's, squeezing her fingers, and waited. "My hand tingled," she looked surprised. "You're still connected to your body... machines don't know everything! If they did, how would they explain you and I talking right now?"

The door opened and Bonnie called out to him in a whisper. "I'm sorry, but I can't leave you here unattended..." he nodded, looking back at Caroline's body. "Can I just have a few minutes? I'm saying goodbye." Bonnie smiled, and closed the door again. When he looked up, Caroline was telling him about her nieces and how most of the cards were made by them. "Wow, that's an amazing likeness," he said, pointing at a drawing of her. She snorted in response.

She came across her lost picture frame. "You look great! Happy," he noted, when she picked it up. "It was taken right after graduation. I bombed my exams, and it was Elena who encouraged me to stick with my dream. I couldn't have done it without her. She must have brought it here, so I wasn't alone." She missed her family. Stefan's voice cut through the silence. "Are you sure you don't want to come back with me, it is your apartment..." he asked. She returned to her body, grateful for all his help. "I don't think I want to leave myself here, now that I've found me," she said. He understood. "It feels weird leaving you here all alone..." he explained, half wishing he didn't have to.

Bonnie stuck her head inside. "I'm sorry, Stefan..." He sighed, speaking to both entities, when he said, "Goodbye Caroline." Caroline's felt empty once he'd gone, like she had lost her best friend.

 **A/N: Please review! This is such a sad scene in the movie, I hope I did it justice.**


	3. Revelations & Tea Parties

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to their respective owners. A/N: This was going to be the last chapter, but I've written 4000+ words & still going, so it's the 2nd last chapter. This was probably my favourite one to write, I've made a few changes but I hope they're for the better. Enjoy. R&R x**

 **Revelations & Tea Parties**

 **3.**

After Stefan had left the hospital, Caroline spent the next few hours stalking Bonnie. "Seems so cruel. She finally got a life outside of work, only to have it taken away..." Bonnie said to her father, walking from the nurse's station. "Makes you appreciate the little things in life, doesn't it?" he said, putting his arm around her. Caroline walked into the supplies' cupboard, wiping away her tears. She missed Bonnie, she missed their talks... she caught sight of April kissing some guy against a rack of towels... she had forgotten what it felt like to be reckless and in love.

She entered her office, seeing Liam sitting at her desk. "I guess you got my job..." she eyed the horizontal blinds with a kink in them, and the stack of unfiled reports with a frown. "Yep," Liam leant back in his office chair, talking on his mobile. "I think I deserve it," he said with a smug smile. His desk phone rang. "Dr Bennett? Yes, ok, I'll be there straight away." He hung up, only to return to his conversation with his friend, much to Caroline's horror. "Dude, you know there's people dying?" She stomped through her office wall, catching sight of her excited nieces running towards her room.

"Lily-Vanilly? Zoe? How did you get so big?" she watched them reach her hospital bed, each giving her a hug. "Why can't I feel you?" Caroline frowned, looking at her hands, confused. Elena walked into the room supporting a large bouquet of daisies which she put beneath the window, removing the dead flowers from another vase. "That's sweet, you guys come and visit me?" Elena left more cards on the cupboards, pausing on one of the drawings Lily had done of Caroline.

"Get well soon, Auntie Caroline," Zoe said, glancing back at Elena. "I really love you," Lily said, kissing Caroline's forehead. Liam knocked on the door. "Yes?" Elena enquired. "Oh no, what are you doing here?" Caroline glared at him. "It's been three months, I want you to know that we love and miss Caroline, and because she was a senior resident we've gone to some extraordinary measures to make her feel comfortable." Elena nodded, checking on her children. "Did you know your sister's opinion about artificially prolonging life?" Liam asked Elena, his features serious.

"That was before, my opinions are different now! Elena, don't sign anything, please-" Caroline's hands went straight through the forms Liam handed to Elena. "She was against it," Liam pressed. Elena became stony faced. "I'll think about it," she took the forms. "I feel ill," Caroline felt like her organs were being squashed in a sandwich press. Elena dashed across the room, pulling the controller from Zoe's hands. "Kids, what did mummy say about you touching things?!"

Caroline saw her comatose body in a V-shaped hospital bed, her sick feeling disappeared once Elena put her right again. Liam cleared his throat. "I know how hard this might be to take in, but, I also know how you value your sister's choices..." Elena looked upset. "I said I'd think about it!" she hissed. Liam pulled the door shut. Caroline sat down beside her body. "Thank you Elena, you always looked out for me." She was scared for herself, and for Elena - never realizing at the time of signing, how selfish her request had been. Elena only ever wanted to protect her, and now she would feel like her efforts to keep Caroline alive, went against her wishes.

She needed to talk to Stefan.

* * *

Stefan analysed his movements, unnerved because Rebekah had invited herself inside, claiming she'd locked herself out of her apartment. "The Locksmith? Does he know to ring my apartment?" he had asked, avoiding Rebekah's gaze, as she lay down on his couch. "I've been with guys before, but none of them are as sweet as you. Do you mind if I use your bathroom?" He muttered 'no', massaging his temples, thinking it was a bad idea to have even let her inside.

She leapt from the couch. His eyes hovered on her yellow thong, above her black shorts, until the bathroom door shut and he leaned against the wall, trying to think of ways to get her to leave. That's when he noticed Caroline. His eyes lit up, never thinking they would see each other again. "What are you doing here?" She looked into his bright expression, filling him in on her situation. She wrung her hands together as she spoke. "Liam's trying to convince Elena to turn off my life-support." He gaped.

"What? They can't do that?" he glanced at the bathroom. _Why hadn't he heard the toilet flush?_

"Nobody can hear me protesting. Besides, I signed something to say they could," she said. The floorboards creaked below Stefan's shoes, causing Rebekah to call out his name. His heart leapt into his throat. "It's not what it looks like. Rebekah barged in. She got locked out of her apartment. She's just using the bathroom..." neither excuse seemed to convince Caroline of his innocence. She looked over his shoulder. "Sounds like Rebekah's voice came from your bedroom," she said. He pushed open the bathroom door to find his towel missing. "You know you know, right?" came Rebekah's voice again.

"You had no idea, she was naked on your bed?" she asked. He shook his head, a thought crossed his mind, but he ignored it. "You're wondering what she looks like, aren't you?" she accused. "No, no, I'm not," but the pink tinge on his cheeks gave him away. "I'll save you trouble..." She poked her head through his bedroom wall. "Seriously? She's got a tattoo on her arse, says 'all aboard in three languages!" A smile formed on Stefan's lips. "You sound jealous!" She pulled her head back and rolled her eyes.

"Who are you talking to?" Rebekah opened his door, wearing only his towel. "Eyes up top," Caroline hissed, punching Stefan's arm. "Just myself," Stefan flinched, forgetting Caroline was a ghost. "I'm sorry if I'm coming off too strong, it's just my style. I thought to myself, 'he looks lonely, I know I am' - is it wrong to want a warm body beside me?" Rebekah's hopeful eyes bore into Stefan's nervous ones.

"Oh, please!" Caroline scoffed. Stefan exchanged a look with Caroline, she misread it. "Stefan, just do it, go ahead and be with her!" He shook his head. Rebekah stared at him. "Do you want to take some medication first?" Stefan barely heard her, focussed on Caroline. "She's beautiful and she's standing right here in front of you." The last thing he'd wanted to do was upset Caroline. "No, Caroline, wait..." she walked through the wall, ignoring him.

"It's Rebekah," his intruder dropped her towel. Stefan took in her curves, the way her long hair framed her seductive smile, and he knew if he was Damon, things would have gone differently. He picked up Rebekah's towel and apologised; he was seeing someone. When Rebekah had retrieved her clothes and let herself out, he was pleased to find Caroline staring at the open newspaper on his coffee table. "That was quick," she noted. "Come on, nothing happened..." he said. "What did you say to her?" she asked. Stefan sat down beside her. "That I was seeing someone..."

Caroline looked surprised. "I didn't mention I was the only person who could," he said, catching her smile. He thought of his wife. "I haven't, uh, been with anyone since Ivy..." he stared into the television screen. "...she was cursing at her shoe, the heel was broken. She put her hand to her head and, just like that, she was gone..." The grief and devastation he'd felt after losing Ivy had been unbearable. He'd held her in his arms until the ambulance came, unable to save her.

"Cerebral haemorrhage," Caroline whispered. "I'm sorry," she added. Even after two years, Stefan thought, it was difficult to talk about it, because he'd much resentment for himself, wishing he could have done more. "Tell me about her?" Caroline whispered, watching him insert a DVD into the DVD player. "I'll show you," he said, sitting down and pressing play on the remote. "Damon filmed the wedding. I wanted to look back on everything and remember how happy we were. I wanted to be able to show this to our kids, and our grandkids..." His hands shook and his voice cracked.

Caroline turned her attention to Ivy, beaming at the camera. Ivy was child-like, mischievous, and beautiful, she thought. Stefan cleared his throat. "She was a pain in the ass - bras on all the doorknobs, channel-surfed, never put gas in the car - made me so mad." After a minute, he said. "I should have known something was wrong. She was wife, my best friend," he said. Caroline saw Ivy sit down on a chair and throw her broken shoe at Damon, on-screen Stefan laughed. Ivy raised her hand to her head, her smile faltered. Caroline knew there was nothing Stefan or anyone could have done.

Stefan paused the video. "I've watched it a thousand times, asking myself why?" For a moment they sat there, staring at the fuzzy lines on the paused video, then Caroline followed his gaze to the coffee stain on the table in front of them. He wiped his face on his sleeve. "Your sister wouldn't really sign those papers, would she?" he asked. Caroline shrugged. "I hope not, but either way, I'm still dead." Stefan shook his head. "I couldn't do anything to help my wife, but I will do everything I can to help you. But first, I need you to come with me, there's something I want to show you."

Caroline hurried after a determined Stefan, wondering what in the world he wanted her to see.

They drove to an old estate on the edge of Mystic Falls. Its white pillars framed the large mahogany door, but Stefan led her around the back, pushing open a wiry gate instead. Tresses of wisteria, multi-coloured rose bushes, and a sparrow sitting on the sandstone birds' bath, caught Caroline's eye. "I was a landscape artist," he picked up a hose and refilled the water in the bird's bath. She looked around in awe. "I've dreamt of this place," she whispered.

Stefan looked at the roses nearby. "I had the idea a few days ago. I want to recreate this on your rooftop, I mean, as long as you promise to water the plants..." he said, putting away the hose. Caroline thought of the pot-plant Bonnie had given her as a house-warming present. "Promise," she whispered, putting her hand beside his. He grinned, closing the distance in-between. They looked down to see a white glow between their hands, like magic. Stefan's mobile rang. "Who the hell's calling me..." he mumbled, annoyed at the interruption.

"Stefan, you are the luckiest man in Mystic Falls... you got the lease to the apartment! The tenant, it is what it is, they're going to pull the plug, and they've promised you the couch too! Isn't that great?" Stefan grimaced, ending Katherine's call. He answered Caroline's look of panic. "I've got an idea. What kind of dirt do you have on your sister?" he asked. Caroline shrugged, "she's lactose intolerant..." He got into his car and turned on the engine. "Something only you would know."

Caroline put her hands on her head, thinking. "Oh! She drunk kissed some guy called 'JJ' minutes before her wedding!" Stefan nodded. "That'll work," he said. Caroline directed him to her sister's house. It overlooked the Mystic Falls' Grill. He hoped he could convince Elena not to turn off Caroline's life-support, if he had to, he'd reveal the truth - he could speak to Caroline's spirit.

* * *

Stefan pocketed his hands into his jacket, looking around the house as Elena invited them inside. Zoe and Lily came racing into the room, playing. "My nieces are here, they're supposed to be a school!" Caroline hissed. "So how did you know Caroline? God knows she wasn't dating anyone!" Elena snorted, picking up toys from the floor. "We worked together," he spluttered. Elena gave him a suspicious look. "Um, I was a patient, I had spiral menijitis..." he explained. "That isn't even a disease!" Caroline hissed. Stefan felt Lily pulling at his hand, begging him to sit down at the toy table where she and Zoe had set it with plastic place settings.

Caroline sat down in an empty chair beside her youngest niece, watching Zoe pouring weak tea into the plastic cups. Stefan smiled, and brought it to his mouth, as Lily left the table and returned with five cookies, placing one in front of Caroline. "Lily? You can see me?" Caroline gasped. Lily smiled, not acknowledging her, but not ignoring her either. Caroline returned to Stefan's conversation with her sister. "Some things are beyond our understanding," he babbled, putting down his tea cup. Elena stared at him. "I don't understand, what is it you want?"

Caroline could see by Elena's stance, her sister was dubious. "I want to beg you to give your sister a little more time, she can pull through her coma, I know it..." he murmured, keeping his voice low so as not to worry the children. Elena dabbed a tissue to her eyes. "That's really sweet of you, but it's too late, I already signed the papers." They moved into the kitchen, out of ear-shot of the children.

"They're turning off the life support tomorrow at noon, whilst the girls are at school. Elijah's taking the day off work." Caroline's heart broke when Elena hugged the toy bear to her chest.

"You're making a mistake," Stefan said. Elena shook her head. "This is what Caroline wanted... this is the last thing she asked for, and I'm honouring that wish." Stefan gave Caroline a desperate look, ignoring her warning glance. "Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but she's right here, and I'm begging you..." Caroline hissed at him to stop talking, he sounded like a lunatic. "Just let me do this! Elena, I can see your sister, I don't know why, or how, but I can talk to her... " Elena raised her hand. "Could you just hold on, just a sec?" Stefan nodded, sending Caroline a smug smile.

Elena clapped her hands. "Tea party over, now it's time for a Wiggly safari!" Elena hurried her two girls out of the kitchen and into the rumpus room where she closed the door and returned to the kitchen in silence. Caroline warned Stefan to duck when Elena reached for a chopping knife. "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Elena screamed. Stefan tripped over the toy table, raising a pink stool to defend himself. "I'LL CHOP YOU! I SWEAR I WILL!" He ducked beneath her mad swings, regretting his decision to tell her the truth. "Tell her about JJ!" Caroline suggested.

"I know what you did!" Stefan repeated what Caroline had told him about her wedding day, this only caused Elena to be more incensed, throwing her knife at him, it hit the front door. He ran down the front steps, gathering his breath outside where Caroline found him. "I don't think your sister is a very spiritual person," he said. Caroline smiled, hugging her arms. "She's just being a good mum, protecting her kids from a crazy guy," she glanced at him. He shook his jacket, removing the cookie crumbs. "Come on, Caroline, this can't be it. I'll talk to the asshole guy, Liam?"

Caroline shook her head. "What about your niece? She saw you!" She pulled her gaze from a mother teaching her daughter how to ride a bike without training wheels. It had been a five years since Liz Forbes passed away of a brain tumour and just thinking of how Elena and Bonnie had looked after her in her absence made Caroline rethink the entire plan. _Maybe it was kinder to accept, this was her fate?_

Elena watched the man give the house one more look before he got into his car and drove away. She hid the knife behind her as she checked on Lily and Zoe, relieved they were fine. "Mummy, is Auntie Caroline going to have more tea?" Lily asked, leaving Elena bewildered.

* * *

Stefan glanced at Caroline as he pushed open the door to Matt's Occult bookshop. They had been arguing since they left Elena's house. "Oh great, my fate's in the hands of a four year old who has seven other imaginary friends?" Caroline stared at him in disbelief. Stefan sighed, "Look, it was just an idea. As is this, I am not giving up on you, even if you have." Matt put down his textbook when they entered, looking to the left of where Stefan stood. "Uh, she's alive, you were right," Stefan said.

"Riotous!" Matt grinned, looking between the space and Stefan. "Are you guys socialising now?" he asked. Stefan smiled at Caroline, and nodded. "We're on friendlier terms," he explained, relieved when Caroline smiled. "I can tell, she has intense feelings for you too," Matt came out from behind the counter. Caroline blushed. "No, I don't," she snapped. Stefan asked the next question. "Look, Matt, they're going to pull the plug on her. She's in a coma at Whitmore Hospital and we're trying to put her back together, but nothing's worked. What are your thoughts on electroshock therapy?"

Matt pulled more books from a dusty corner of his bookshop, asking Stefan questions. "What does your brother think of her?" he murmured. Stefan didn't recall ever telling Matt he had a brother. Caroline looked at the cars in the street out of the bookshop window. "He thinks I'm crazy, just about everyone else in this town does, except for you." Matt grinned. "How is it I can see her, and talk to her, but nobody else can?"

Matt gave Stefan the books, patting his shoulder. "I don't know, man, but whatever the reason, I like that you're helping her, I'm sure your other girl would be proud." Stefan nodded, and it was here he thought up his next crazy idea.

 **A/N: Reviews welcome. I should mention, Rebekah & Elijah are not aware of each other's close proximity, this may play a part in the next chapter, if all goes well. I thought I'd also keep Zoe & Lily, as they are beyond precious in the movie. Let me know if you have any questions & do point out any typos I might have missed. x**


	4. Coda

**Disclaimer: Rights belong to their respective owners. A/N: Sorry for the delay. Last chapter, I hope you like it. Thank again. R &R x**

 **Coda**

 **4**

Stefan glanced at Damon in the passenger seat of Matt's borrowed van. "How on earth did you convince him?" Caroline asked watching Whitmore Hospital grow larger through the front windscreen. "Sale at the hospital..." Stefan muttered under his breath, glancing at an oblivious Damon, who tapped the side of the van with his hand in tune with the radio. "In what? Blood bags?" she hissed. "Huh? What did you say?" Damon asked. Stefan frowned. "Nothing," Stefan parked the van, and hurried after Caroline, following her into the supplies' cupboard.

Damon watched an erratic Stefan throw blankets and medical equipment into a trolley. "What are you doing, man? Are you having some kind of mental break down?" Stefan ran an unsettled hand through his thick hair, thinking of how he'd broken the news to Caroline hours before. _"Look, I get it, you're a control freak, you hate breaking the rules, but sometimes you have to." Caroline gave Stefan an incredulous look. "I don't care about the risks, it's my turn to save you. We just need somebody with no morals..."_ Stefan gripped the trolley, receiving an encouraging nod from Caroline.

He sighed. "You remember the girl I told you about?" Damon nodded. "The one you were hallucinating, yeah?" Stefan wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. "Well, she's real, and her body is upstairs, and they're going to turn off her life-support if we don't do something!" Damon slammed Stefan into the shelves by the folds of his jacket. "Oh my god!" Caroline cried. Stefan shoved Damon off him. "I'm not losing it, she's real. I can see her!" Stefan pressed, as Caroline lowered her hands from her mouth.

"Prove it, how many fingers do I have behind my back?" Damon hid his fingers behind his back. Stefan rubbed his jaw, getting the answers from Caroline. "Three. Two. One. A rock, scissors, paper..." Damon seemed frazzled but refused to give in, until... "He's flipping me off!" She gasped. "Are you flipping her off?" Stefan demanded as Damon opened his mouth in surprise. "Look, even if she is real, are you really going to break her out of her hospital room?" Stefan nodded, that was his plan. "Why?" his brother asked.

Stefan thought of what Caroline meant to him. He'd promised to do everything he could to protect her, and as Damon asked him, all Stefan's emotions fell into place. "Because I love her!" Caroline stared in surprise. "I do, I love you!" Stefan repeated, hoping it was enough to convince Damon to help them. Seconds later they'd burst through the door. "Save your breath," Damon interrupted before Stefan could thank him. "I'm not doing it for you. Someday, I'm going to need help moving a body, and when that time comes, I don't want to hear a word from you!"

"Oh my god!" Damon said as they entered Caroline's room a five minutes later. "What?" Stefan asked, confused. Damon pointed at Caroline. "That's the woman you stood up that night!" Stefan gave his brother a quizzical look. "I was going to meet Caroline?" Stefan asked, catching her raised eyebrow. Damon nodded. "She didn't make it either because she had an accident!" Damon sat down in the chair beside Caroline's bed, giving Stefan a meaningful look. "How did you know her?" Stefan wondered. "I used to date her sister, Elena, in college," his brother explained.

"Wait, he's 'JJ'!" she gasped, catching Stefan's just as amazed expression. "He's JJ? You kissed Elena on her wedding day?" Stefan asked his brother, who sprang from the chair, disconcerted. "What did you call me? Nobody but Elena called me that!" Stefan pointed at a smug Caroline. "I can't believe he tongued my sister!" Caroline made a 'gross' face. Damon raised his head to look at the empty space in front of him. He was unusually quiet, and seemed to accept what Stefan had been saying all along. "She's really here, isn't she?" Damon breathed. Stefan nodded, pleased when Damon took to pushing Caroline's hospital bed and the monitors towards the exit. Voices outside stopped them in their tracks. "Seriously? It's Liam, and he's fifteen minutes early!" she hissed, pulling her head back into the room.

Damon looked to Stefan for instructions. "Stall him," Caroline hissed. Stefan let himself out, introducing himself to Liam under a fake alias and speaking rather quickly. "My team's downstairs and we have a signed order from Dr Bennett, giving us approval to perform more tests. There has been cases where the patient has woken up after a three month coma." Stefan explained. Liam looked suspicious. "Sure, then you won't mind if I just confirm it?" Stefan's palms sweated when Liam pulled out his phone. "Of course not." There was no time, only minutes before Liam found out.

Caroline gasped when Stefan punched Liam, holding the door open so Damon could push Caroline's body into the hall. They skidded down the corridor, hearing Liam calling security. Elena and Elijah rounded the corner with Bonnie and Dr Bennett, horrified to see their most prized employee about to be kidnapped by a lunatic, Stefan thought. "Look out!" Caroline pointed to the lift, and Damon came charging forward. "I've got him," he yelled, tackling a security guard back inside the lift and disappearing behind its big metal doors.

Caroline cried out. "Stefan?!" He saw her breathing apparatus had disappeared, guards were everywhere, and her friends and family raced towards them. His breathing grew rapid, and heard their panicked shouts. "Stop! What are you doing?" Elena yelled. "Who is that man?" Bonnie turned to her dad. "Step away from the body," Elijah warned, raising his hands. "It's happening!" Caroline's spirit was fading with her body. Stefan looked at the machine monitors and clutched her hand. "Be strong! No, stay with me!"

Scared he would lose her, Stefan bent over and kissed Caroline, head spinning from the chaos around him. Seconds later he felt like he'd been run over by a bus. Pinned beneath five security guards. The lift opened, and Damon was hauled from it by the scruff of his collar, the breathing apparatus in Damon's apologetic hands. Elena stared at Damon, and then back to Stefan and her sister, lying helpless in her hospital bed. "It's ok," Elena moved forward, and the guards looked at Dr Bennett, releasing him on his approval. Stefan caressed Caroline's cheek, praying for a miracle.

"Come back to me," he whispered, squeezing her hand. When the machine began to beep, Elena turned to Elijah, hugging him with a shout of joy. She raced over to Caroline's hospital bed, her hair falling across her face. "I can't believe we almost let you go!" Elena cried, as Caroline blinked beneath the bright lights. "I think I bumped my head?" Caroline apologized, turning her head to see Stefan give her a relieved smile. "It's me, Stefan," he murmured. She gave him a confused look, and slipped her hand from his grip. "I'm sorry, I don't.."

Elena curled her hair behind her ear. "Honey, it's Stefan, don't you remember Stefan?" Caroline shook her head, and Stefan felt like somebody had punched him. His breath caught in his lungs, and he didn't like the look she was giving him, like they were strangers. "The apartment, the rooftop, the garden...?" he whispered, trying to jog her memories. Caroline frowned, and Stefan reached for her hand again. She flinched, giving Elena a panicked look. "Honey, you don't remember him at all?" Elena turned to Elijah who came to stand beside her, equally as confused.

Stefan accepted her decision, backing away, and watched Caroline reunite with Bonnie. Damon wrapped his arm around Stefan's neck. "I'm sorry, man." Stefan blinked back tears, and took a deep breath, knowing he'd made the right decision to let her be. "Bourbon?" he asked, patting Stefan on his chest, and giving Elena one last look over his shoulder, before entering the lift together.

* * *

Caroline stood on the pavement, pushing coins into the ticket machine, when she happened to look into a bookshop window, and saw the owner staring back at her. He grinned, giving her a thumbs up. Confused, but not wanting to be impolite, she waved back, and took her ticket. She had a vague feeling she'd been inside the shop before. Elena met her outside her apartment in shorts and a t-shirt, Zoe and Lily were somewhere inside, colouring in, and Elijah was doing the heavy lifting.

Elena pulled her suitcase inside, flinging her cardigan on the back of the red couch. "Did you move something?" she asked, thinking the apartment looked different. "We rented it for a month, but apart from that, everything's where you left it," Elena replied, opening one of the boxes on the coffee table. Caroline returned to the couch, where Elijah and Elena sat, resting before unpacking things. Elijah picked up the newspaper and read the headlines, putting his arm around Elena.

Caroline moved a few books left behind on the coffee table, glancing at the titles. "Previous owner must have been a spiritual kind of person," Elena noted. Caroline agreed, distracted by a coffee stain. She got up from the couch, stopped to view Lily and Zoe's drawings, and found herself accessing the roof. The strange man from the hospital was watering a bird's bath in the middle of a garden full of wisteria and roses. He saw her standing there, and put down the watering can.

"Hi, uh, don't worry, I'm leaving. I just wanted you to have your garden," he murmured. Caroline stared at her surroundings, watching Stefan pour the rest of the water on the rose bushes. "How did you get up here?" she asked, suspicious. "Spare key beneath the fire extinguisher," he smiled, then sighed after noticing the look on her face. "Look the last thing I want to do is to scare you," he said, putting down the watering can and heading towards the exit.

"Wait..." she called out, making his heart skip a beat. "Yeah?" he asked, smiling. "The key, I need the key back," she whispered, holding out her hand. Stefan nodded, pulling it from his jacket pocket. "How do I know you?" Caroline asked, wracking her mind. "From your dreams..." he said, placing the key inside her palm, but purposefully brushing her hand, hoping she'd remember.

 _"All I can remember doing when I was alive was working, working, working, and trying so hard, but for what?" Caroline spun on the spot, standing in the middle of the apartment, annoyed at herself. Stefan put down his car keys. "You saved lives," he reminded her. "You were a Doctor!" She frowned. "I never thought I wouldn't have time-" Stefan interrupted her. "There's still time," he glanced at his watch, they had a day before her life-support would be switched off._

 _"You know, I don't want to spend my last night crying or fighting my fate..." she whispered. Stefan walked up to her. "Ok, what do you want to do? You want to fly to Paris and climb the Eiffel tower? You want to dance in Hawaii, I'll make it happen." She seemed grateful for his enthusiasm, looking at her feet. "I want to try something," she began, walking down the hall, with Stefan following her. "Anything, I promised you I'd help you." Stefan watched her lie down on his bed, taking up one side._

 _He lay beside her. "You make me nervous," he admitted. She made a face. "Me?" He chuckled. "Yeah, but you also make everything easier, I could tell you anything," she smiled. "I want you to know, when you touched my hand before, I felt it, and I think if you could really touch me, I might wake up from all this." He placed his hand against hers, pleased to see the sparkle of gold, as though it were a sign, that they completed each other._

"It wasn't a dream!" Caroline whispered, remembering how they met. An abundance of emotions burst through her chest when Stefan gripped her hand. He grinned, pulling her waist towards him, and kissed her, he'd waited long enough. She returned his fervent kisses, smiling against him and catching her breath. "I love you," she whispered, pressing her head against his. "I love you too," he said, placing tender kisses against her flushed cheeks.

* * *

Matt Donovan put the 'closed' sign on the front of his bookshop, picking up a snow globe. "Riotous," he tore his gaze from the entwined figures, standing in a garden overlooking the Mystic Fall's clock tower when the door opened, and a woman walked inside. She smiled, her eyes lit up when she saw him all fancy. "Are you ready?" she asked, smiling when he kissed her in greeting. "Yes, did you get the cranberries, Elena asked for?" Matt asked, switching off the lights and locking the door. "Yes," Rebekah said, showing him a brown paper bag, and fixing his blue tie.

When they arrived to Elena and Elijah's, the most amazing smell wafted from the kitchen. "Mmm gravy," Matt grinned. Seconds later they heard Caroline's laugh, followed by children singing Christmas songs. Elijah welcomed them inside. "Rebekah? I thought you were still in Paris?" Rebekah hugged her brother. "Starting over. Have you met my boyfriend, Matt?" she asked, pulling apart.

Elijah and Matt shook hands, and Elijah put the cranberries on the kitchen counter. "For the stuffing," he winked at Caroline, who peeled pistachios into a glass bowl. "Stefan, more champagne glasses, my sister is crashing our party," he said as Stefan stopped mid in his tracks, remembering Rebekah clearly. Rebekah blinked, giving him an awkward hello. Matt looked straight at Caroline. "Spirit girl," he grinned. "So where's your brother, Stefan?" The door bell rang, and more guests arrived. Zoe and Lily took over shelling pistachios, whilst Caroline helped Stefan set the table.

"What is Rebekah doing here with Matt?" she hissed. "I think they're dating," Stefan replied, as Caroline frowned, unimpressed. Damon and Bonnie arrived at the same time. Caroline greeted both with hugs. Elijah poured the champagne, handing glasses around. "So, have you two been introduced?" he asked, checking with Elena, who curled her hair behind her ear, shaking her head.

Stefan wrapped his arm around Caroline's waist. "Is it me, or did Elena set them up together?" Caroline smiled, glad in a way, and sipped her champagne. Elena grounded the pistachios and cranberries into the stuffing, and put it and the turkey into the oven. Caroline reluctantly pulled herself from Stefan's grip to help Elena in the kitchen. "We're just waiting on Jeremy," Elena said, wiping her hands on the dish cloth. "Thank you for hosting this, sis," Caroline said, appreciative. "Especially after everything I put you through."

Elena sighed. "You're welcome. I'm just happy we got you back." Bonnie joined them, putting down her champagne glass. "Why do I get the feeling you're setting me up with this Damon guy?" Caroline giggled. "Because we are," Elena smirked. Bonnie sighed, rubbing her neck. "Jeremy wanted to bring his new girlfriend with him," Elena made a face. "So I thought, it's only fair you had a date too." Bonnie eyed Damon, as Jeremy and April entered, holding hands. Zoe and Lily screamed, jumping on their favourite uncle.

April clung to Jeremy, giving Caroline half a smile. Bonnie squared her shoulders, and went to join Stefan and Damon's conversation, giving her ex a forced smile. "Well, this will be interesting," Caroline said as Elijah passed by with the appetisers. "Indeed," he smiled. She picked up her champagne glass, smiling when her engagement ring glittered beneath the glow of the halogens. Stefan didn't seem to me engaged in his brother's conversation, and grinned at her from his spot near the table. Caroline beamed back, excited to be starting a new chapter in her life, and hopefully a family of her own.

 **A/N: I hope you liked the alternate ending, reviews welcome. Squee, not long til season 7 starts! Are you excited? Please point out any typos, if you see them. x**


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